Balloon-launching structure

ABSTRACT

A STRUCTURE WHICH SHELTERS A BALOON SURING LAUNCH PREPARATION TIME AND HAS A GATE IN EACH WALL, OPENWORK WINDBREAKS ON THE ROOF AND LATERAL DEFLECTORS AT THE CORNERS.

Nov. 9, 1971 R. RVTELLE ETAL BALLOON-LAUNCHING STRUCTURE Filed May 4, 1970 United States Patent 3,618,276 BALLOON-LAUNCHING STRUCTURE Ren R. Vielle and Ren Chevallier, Courbevoie, France, assignors to Sonectro Societe dEntreprises Generales et Electroniques Filed May 4, 1970, Ser. No. 34,097

Claims priority, application France, May 27, 1969,

Int. Cl. E04d 13/00 US. Cl. 52-173 12 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A structure which shelters a balloon during launch preparation time and has a gate in each wall, openwork windbreaks on the roof and lateral deflectors at the corners.

The present invention relates to structures designed for the launching of balloons in windy conditions.

It is well known that in order to launch safely balloons in windy conditions, a structure satisfying broadly the following conditions is needed:

It should provide a sheltered operational zone;

It should provide a calm zone in which the launching can take place;

It should provide a non-turbulent transitional zone between the calm zone and the windy zone.

Known structures essentially comprise flat or curved, vertical or inclined screens, sometimes grouped in the form of several elements aligned in different directions.

The efficiency of such structures is poor: at the best they enable launches to be carried out in a wind of kilometers per hour, where as it is desirable to be able to operate in winds of up to as much as 50 kilometers per hour in order to utilize to a suflicient extent balloonlaunching sites.

Moreover, these structures do not provide a covered hanger although the latter is essential for launch preparation, since the disturbances which would be produced by a hanger, if incorporated into conventional structures, would still further reduce their efliciency.

It is an object of this invention to avoid these drawbacks. The balloon-launching structure in accordance with the invention comprises, essentially, a polygonal building forming a sheltered operational zone in which to work on the balloon being launched; an assembly of flat, latticework or openwork windbreaks, projecting above the roof of said building, each of these windbreaks having a bottom edge resting upon this roof and the assembly of these bottom edges forming a contour which coincides, at least approximately, with that of the roof; and an arrangement of deflectors associated externally with each vertical edge of said building.

The invention will be better understood and its features rendered more apparent, from a consideration of the ensuing description in conjunction with the drawing the only figure of which illustrates in perspective an example of a balloon-launching structure in accordance with the invention.

In the embodiment shown, a square-based building 1, has an opening 2 in each of its lateral walls. The latter carry a flat horizontal roof on which four openwork windbreaks 3 of trapezoidal shape, all identically in- 3,618,276 Patented Nov. 9, 1971 ice clined towards the interior of the building, are mounted, their shorter sides defining a square. The windbreaks 3 are fixed, at their top parts, to a horizontal deflector 4 forming a frame the periphery ofwhich is'serrated. The internal walls of each windbreak 3 are equipped with inclined rectangular deflectors 5. Perpendicularly to the ground, at each external corner of the building, lateral, vertically disposed windbreaks are erected. They are formed by a deflector 6 shaped somewhat as a gutter, the concave side of which faces the corresponding corner and by a flat deflector 7 of trapezoidal form, bothaligned in extension of the diagonals of the base of the building.

The building 1 forms a shelter intended for launch preparation work (balloon equipment, checks, inflation and so on) from which the balloon can be extracted for the launching through the particular gate 2 which happens to be located furthest downwind at the time of launch.

The low pressure zone, surrounded by eddies and turbulence, which is generally produced downwind of any obstacle opposing an airstrearn, is to be filled and the turbulence considerably reduced. This is achieved by the joint action of the windbreaks which are provided.

The openwork windbreaks 3 present to the wind a zone whose resistance is intermediate between that presented by the building and the open space; the transition thus created, which can be made even more progressive by using arrangements whose resistance to air propagation decreases with height, creates an extension of the zone protected by the building and rejects farther downstream of the building the backwash air, this in particular if the windbreaks 3 are inclined towards the building interior. The deflectors 5 promote the flow of air in such a way that virtually the whole of the air first passing one of the windbreaks 3, passes across the opposite windbreak. Experience has shown that the deflectors 5 should be slightly inclined towards the ground in relation to a horizontal plane, in order to obtain the best results.

The horizontal and serrated deflectors 4 result in a minimization of the turbulent zone which can develop at the limit of the calm zone thus created.

The lateral windbreaks essentially serve to ensure that the balloon is stable as it starts to rise during the initial launch phase.

In the case of a building not equipped with these arrangements, the circulation of air close to the lateral walls, produces substantial eddies on each face parallel to the wind direction, creating a backwash airflow at each side of the building and zones of lower pressure. Major instability results from this situation.

The deflectors '6 channel the air and cause it to flow along the corners of the building. The thus guided airflow follows the wall. The trapezoidal deflectors 7 limit this airflow and regularize the vertical wind velocity gradient.

The combined action of the deflectors 6 and 7 thus makes its possible to fill the depression created by the building. Experience shows that they create a rising flow at the balloon-launch site, and this improves the stability of the balloon-basket assembly.

Experience also shows that the vertical development of the deflectors 6 and 7 should be such that they are substantially at the same level as the base of the balloon. The height of the openwork deflectors 3 should corre- SPQnd'WSDbStautially to the: height. of the, balloon itself i ground area: 18 x 18 meters hei'ghtof the vertical walls: 13.5 meters height of the top windbreaks: 5 meters inclination of the top windbreaks: 55

height of the lateral deflectors: 5 meters radius of the cylindrical deflectors: 0.75 meter Although the principles of the present invention have been described hereinbefore in relation to a specific embodiment, it will readly be appreciated that this description is given here purely by way of example and in no way limits the scope of the invention. In particular, the form given to the inclined panels 3 in the example just described is in no way limitative and it is even possible to use combinations of different shapes. It is possible, for example, in order to facilitate construction, to utilize inclined panels of retangular shape connected by auxiliary inclined panels of triangular shape. One of these latter will then have the disposition indicated in dotted line at 8, in the figure. I

What is claimed is:

* *1. A balloon-lanuching structure having walls following a polygonal contour and a roof, at least a plurality of said walls having respective gates for the extraction of the balloon from the structure; an assembly of flat, openwork windbreaks erected on said roof, each of said windbreaks having a bottom edge resting upon the said roof and the assembly of said bottom edges defining a contour coinciding at least approximately with that of the roof; and deflector arrangements respectively associated with each outer vertical corner of said structure.

2. A structure as claimed in claim 1, wherein said openwork windbreaks have a wind resistance which decreases from the base towards the top.

3 A,structure as claimed in claim 1, wherein said windbreaks are inclined in the direction of the centre of said structure and extend between said roof and a horizontal plane Whose intersection with said windbreaks forms a continuous polygonal line, each of said deflector arrangements comprising a channel whose concave side faces the corresponding outer corner of said structure and a vertical plate associated with the outer face of said channel.

4. A structure as claimed in claim 3, wherein the cross-section of said channel being a circular arc, the centre of the latter ison the bisector of said corresponding corner.

5. A structure as claimed inclaim 4, wherein said vertical plate is a rectangular trapezium which is positioned along said bisector.

, 6. A structure as claimed in claim 1, wherein said windbreaks have a trapezoidal shape.

7. A structure as claimed in claim 1, wherein said windbreaks are rectangular, and further triangular windbreaks are positioned between adjacent rectangular windbreaks to joint them to each other.

8. A structure as claimed in claim 1, wherein said polygonal contour is a square.

9. A structure as claimed in claim 1, wherein the internal face of each of said windbreaks carries a rectangular deflector slightly inclined towards said roof.

10. A structure as claimed in claim 3, characterized in that said polygonal line supports a framelike deflector the internal perimeter of which is serrated.

11. A structure as claimed in claim 1, wherein said windbreaks extend to a height equal to that of the inflated balloon being launched.

12. A structure as claimed in claim 1, wherein said deflectors are substantially level with the base of the inflated balloon being launched.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,280,524 10/1966 Hull 52,24

JOHN E. MURTAGH, Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 52-24 

